Question about sizing cast bullets

I was thinking about this while sizing a coffee can of .38's the other evening...

Is there any reason why a sizer can't be made to push a bullet all the way through a die and drop free on the other end instead of down into the die and back up out of the die? Seems to me this would make the sizing process MUCH faster if you only had to handle the bullet to set it in the die instead of in and then back out.

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hoghunting

May 27, 2006, 11:19 AM

How do you plan on seating gas checks?

fecmech

May 27, 2006, 11:20 AM

They are called Star lubrisizers and can be found at :http://www.magmaengineering.com/
Bullets are sized nose first and gas checks are simply placed on the base before pushing the bullet thru.

ReloaderFred

May 27, 2006, 11:50 AM

As mentioned, the Star Lubrisizer is what you're describing, and it's been around for many, many years. I have four of them and they are a great production machine. I also own two Saeco, one Lyman and one RCBS lubrisizers. Each has it's place.

The other day I cast some 485 grain gas checked .45-70 spire point bullets for a friend and that is a very long bullet. I had to size and lube them in the RCBS, with a Lyman size die in .457", and still had to work them into the opening. It would have been difficult to seat the gas checks and fill all the lube grooves with the Star machine, so the RCBS worked just fine, since I only made 400 of them.

If you watch ebay in the hunting catagory and do a search for Star, you'll usually find some listed. The average price is anywhere from $110.00 to $200.00, depending on whether any size dies are offered with them, or other accessaries.

With a Star machine, you would have gone through your coffee can of bullets in a fraction of the time you probably spent doing them with your machine.

Hope this helps.

Fred

RecoilRob

May 27, 2006, 12:02 PM

Lee makes sizers for regular presses. The ram pushes the bullet up and through the die. Simple and inexpensive.

Rottweiler

May 27, 2006, 12:58 PM

Fred & fecmech

THAT'S the kind of beast I'm looking for. Apparently someone besides me thought that there has to be a better(faster) way to size bullets. If I was only doing 400 I wouldn't mind the slow speed either. It took me all evening to do a can.

ebay, here I come..

charger

May 28, 2006, 05:59 AM

Is there any reason why a sizer can't be made to push a bullet all the way through a die and drop free on the other end instead of down into the die

Ya its called a lee sizing die. Size em there frontwards,then just use the lubesizer for lubing,you'll end up with a more accurate bullet

Paul "Fitz" Jones

May 31, 2006, 12:50 AM

As the Star Co top dealer Reloader Reconditioning and Parts Center in the 70's I sold hundreds of them and the blue Stars are the best and go for the highest prices used. I still have new parts left for the reloaders and new luber sizing dies in .356, .410, .429 and .430..

Star made money cutting top punches in all the possible nose shapes but as their dealer with Luber inventories I could not sell a luber immediately for all of those nose shapes so as a Saeco Distributor I first stocked Saeco nose shapes which just let me ship immediately only to Saeco customers.

Over Star's objections I invented nose first sizing and stocked hundreds of flat top punches in 2 sizes .356 for .9mm and .38 and .451 for 45. Most of my reloader and luber sales were in .38 and .45. I advised my customers that with a drill and a file they could file down any of my two nose sizes to .410, .429 or what ever size they wanted. and I still have around a hundred of my invented flat nose punches left for whomever would like to contact me. Also have Star Luber nose punches in Saeco cut nose shapes. I am on ebay as star0reloader0mentors to find star owners to be helpful to as the last Star Co. dealer alive and willing to help with a web site for Star Tool owners to ask questions. It is a helpful site not a chatty site. I have had Star tools since 1962 when captain of my Marshal's pistol Team.

I also have about a hundred Saeco luber dies left from .22 to .48 caliber sizes and top punches for Saeco bullets. I was also a dealer for all Star Accessory making companies and have some of their parts also.

The Original Blue Lubers do not need any sizing die gaskets like the aluminum Magmas do.

Paul, tell me more about the gaskets for the Magma aluminum versions. I have two starrs but they were purchased from starr and they were aluminum. Mine do leak around the die and I would like to fix that if possible. Why did the other versions not need gaskets?

LAH

June 1, 2006, 06:15 PM

Travis the old Star was machined so the sizing die fit the sizer snug enough no "gasket" was needed. I have two old Star's. Both leak around the sizing die but this leakage is very, very small and isn't a problem. If you use the bullet feed the lube will get on the bottom of the bullet transfer bar and cause it not to return far enough to pick up the bullet from the feeding tube. The leakage is so small I can size 3-4 thousand before I have to clean the slide.

I also have two new Star's. These use a "gasket" (o-ring) which fits into a groove cut into the sizer housing. The sizing die is placed into the sizer and the lube is sealed by the o-ring. This method allows the dies to be changed without the use of the tool Paul sells and which I believe came with the old Star's, but I could be wrong about this.

How does the new set up using the o-ring work? One of mine works fine leaking only a little more than my two old Star's. The other one leaks enough I won't use it with the bullet feed. It's problem........the groove isn't cut deep enough for the o-ring and the die will cut it making it impossible in insert the die completely. I complained to Magma and they sent me a new sizer and allow me to keep the other one. That's why I have two New Stars. Keep in mind I was casting "for hire" then and was buying lots of stuff from Magma.

Hope this helps...........Creeker

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